Chapter 3 Testing the Waters: "Starting tomorrow, you will serve in my courtyard..."
Upon hearing that Jiang Xu was looking for her, Shi Wan hurriedly went with him.
Passing through the corridor and arriving at the hanging flower gate, various unknown flowers of different colors surrounded her, dotting the greenery. Following the white jade steps, she walked all the way to a pond on one side. Shi Wan glanced at them a few times and was unsurprisingly dazzled. There was something on the bottom of the pond that shimmered with a precious light under the warm sunlight.
She silently memorized the way and went to the main house, where she saw Jiang Xu reading a book. He was wearing a black brocade robe with gold trim and sat upright on a chair with an official hat.
The yellowed scroll in his hands appeared even more exquisite and delicate. Shi Wan subconsciously recalled the way the other person held her jade pendant in prison, with long, slender fingers and a large palm, just like the scene at this moment.
The guard, having completed his task, respectfully said, "Your Majesty, the person has been brought." After speaking, he quickly retreated, closed the door, and then stood guard by the door, the whole action completed in one smooth motion.
Shi Wan: "......"
She suppressed her fear and asked respectfully, "Your Majesty, why did you seek me out...?"
Jiang Xu didn't look at her; his gaze remained fixed on the book. Shi Wan secretly followed his gaze and was surprised to realize that what he was holding was not a book at all, but clearly a letter!
Shi Wan dared not look again, but in the next instant, Jiang Xu locked onto her as if he had some kind of tracking radar. Seeing Shi Wan startled like a little rabbit, he sneered inwardly.
As expected of someone from the brothels, he was timid and uncultured, glancing around aimlessly.
However... it also saved him a lot of trouble.
He asked, "How do you feel after resting for so long?"
From the time Shi Wan was abducted to the Jingbei Army camp at night until now, it has only been a little over three hours, not to mention the series of events she experienced, such as being threatened in prison and losing consciousness due to blood loss.
Shi Wan forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am fine."
How are you feeling?
Jiang Xu glanced at Shi Wan's pale face and her short life. Seeing her trying to suppress her trembling, and thinking of the information he had gathered, he remained silent.
Incompetent and physically weak.
Is the situation in Youzhou a case of hysteria?
They actually sent someone like that... Or is it because they saw that the previous types of women weren't working, and they're trying to find another way?
Jiang Xu's thoughts raced. "In that case, let's call it quits for today."
The army is full of men, who are best at fighting and killing enemies, but they are not used to serving tea and water.
It would be better to keep this spy in sight, killing two birds with one stone.
He said calmly, "Starting tomorrow, you will come to serve me in my courtyard."
Shi Wan was taken aback, and recalling Yu'er's words about being a maid, her heart sank to the bottom of ice. Her words became somewhat incoherent, "Your Majesty, do you mean...?"
Jiang Xu casually replied, "They're all trivial matters. You just need to do things like serving tea and water, and sweep the yard every morning."
"I do not like outsiders getting close to me."
The Jingbei Army had been in Jichuan for several days, but only entered the city and set up camp this morning. The servants of the prefect's mansion had long since fled. Only a very few remained, having nowhere else to go, reluctantly staying to wait for the army to enter the city.
With so many tasks to handle, it's natural to be flexible in hiring.
Upon hearing this, Shi Wan's face quickly flashed with two hints of surprise. "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." Then, as if thinking of something, she hesitated for a moment.
Shi Wan was frail and sickly from the age of seven when she arrived at Liushaotai. However, she was slender and had an outstanding appearance, so Mama Wu decided to keep her.
While she knows a little about serving others, she's really not very good at it.
After all, there is a significant difference between pouring wine and massaging shoulders, and making beds and sweeping floors.
Jiang Xu noticed Shi Wan's appearance, which made his expression deepen.
The imperial relatives and nobles in Luoyang were fond of beautiful women, both men and women, especially those who were beautiful but physically weak.
This peculiar habit spread from the capital city of Luoyang to the surrounding areas, and even in the northern region where Jiang Xu lived, this phenomenon was not uncommon.
These observations were told to my father by his colleagues during military campaigns, often in jest or as a joke, after they had been drinking.
Later, my father died, and so did those colleagues who used to joke around with me.
His thoughts raced, his expression unchanged, but his tone became impatient, "If you don't know, just ask. I don't have many extra opportunities to give you."
Shi Wan snapped out of her daze, breathed a sigh of relief, and silently added another stroke.
They are vindictive, have a fickle temperament, and are especially impatient.
Every additional word spoken is like pulling the hair out of a tiger's head, a nerve-wracking experience.
She quickly adjusted her strategy and readily agreed, "This servant will learn diligently from others and will certainly not let Your Majesty down."
Shi Wan was unaware of Jiang Xu's thoughts; she only subconsciously felt that she needed to make him think she was still somewhat useful.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Xu's expression softened slightly.
Each of them had their own thoughts, and after a moment of silence, a sense of harmony suddenly appeared. The faint fragrance of flowers outside the window added to the tranquility.
A subtle fragrance drifted in the air, carried by the spring breeze, and reached a certain inn in Pingsu.
Inside the house, Ah Ling woke up with a splitting headache.
After searching inside and out several times without finding Shi Wan, and then noticing the loose silver on the table, Ah Ling immediately realized what was going on.
Last night, upon arriving at the inn, she only drank two cups of tea before feeling dizzy and lightheaded, compounded by a lingering ache in her neck...
The sky has fallen!
Shi Wan must have fled overnight!
In a moment, Ah Ling didn't care about anything else and hurriedly ran to the nearest post station to deliver the message, while also rushing to Huzhou without stopping.
The donkey cart remained beside the haystack, but this time, it was forced to leave a fleeting afterimage.
......
*
Inside the study, after Shi Wan left, Deputy General Jing Yan returned from his search.
The raid tonight yielded a very fruitful result.
Jing Yan relaxed slightly, and the gold ingots and jewels in the bag scattered. He picked out one of them and handed it to Jiang Xu.
The gold ingot is the size of a fist and is very heavy. There is a slight bulge at the corner, with the character "吴" (Wu) stamped on it.
Prominent families often used this to demonstrate their status and wealth.
Jiang Xu examined it carefully but remained noncommittal.
The Southern Yuan court, though outwardly magnificent, was in fact rotten to the core. Jiang Xu never imagined that while there was a deficit in military funds, it had reached such a point.
His gaze lingered on the letter he had just sorted out, which contained information he had extracted from the traitor over the past two or three days.
"The governor is worth five thousand gold pieces."
"The county magistrate received seven hundred taels of silver."
Such examples are too numerous to list; all local official titles can be found in this letter.
The appointment and promotion of officials are all handled by the Ministry of Personnel. Jiang Xu's expression turned cold as he thought of the face of Pei Sheng, the Minister of Personnel, and remained silent.
Although the Wu and Zhang families are so-called aristocratic families and dominate their respective regions, it is impossible for them to directly contact Minister Pei in Luoyang.
The setting sun melts into gold, and the evening clouds merge like jade.
The golden glow of the sunset enveloped Jiang Xu's face, making his nose appear even more prominent and his lips thinner. His long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and his gaze remained fixed on a certain spot, adding an air of inexplicable severity to his appearance.
Unlike the typical scions of noble families who grew up immersed in classical texts, Jiang Xu spent his childhood in the practical experience of military campaigns.
This also meant that he was a latecomer to many of the more literary pursuits, and he had to put in a lot more effort to master them. For example, his handwriting; over the past eight years, starting at the age of fourteen, he has gradually developed his excellent regular script through daily practice.
After a while, Jiang Xu took a vermilion pen and made a few strokes on the letter, emphasizing the name "Chen Huan".
The only son of Shen Guoyu, the largest grain merchant in Youzhou, he is a domineering and stubborn man, but he is also a staunch supporter of the family and is therefore trusted by Shen Qing, the head of the Shen family.
Upon seeing this, Deputy General Jing Yan hurriedly continued his report: "As soon as Governor Shen arrived at his fiefdom, he seized 3,000 hectares of farmland under the pretext of 'border defense and land reclamation.' Not only that, the next day he sent his men with spears to measure the land, and when they found fertile fields, they planted flags on them, euphemistically calling them 'official land.'"
Thinking of this, Jiang Xu couldn't help but chuckle, "For official use?"
Jiang Xu didn't need to ask any further questions; he could imagine the situation from just a few words.
Beneath this white background and black lettering, the number of lives lost must be numerous.
His expression was cold. "Using a golden seal to exchange for bones, what a clever tactic."
Jiang Xu immediately dipped his brush in ink and carefully wrote down the names of the people. Then he used a gold ingot to weigh down the letter and placed it on a corner of the table. He ordered, "Hurry up and deliver the list to Xiao Chijie." His voice was cold and contained murderous intent. "This is a golden opportunity. I should cut his throat."
Jing Yan accepted it as instructed, then took his leave.
*
Within half a day, the entire army knew that their king had an unprecedented woman by his side.
Although it was just doing some trivial tasks in the courtyard, by the time the rumors spread, no one seemed to care about these details anymore. By the time the news reached Jichuan, it had become that Prince Jingbei had "taken" Shiwan.
However, those who are currently at the eye of the storm are completely unaware of this.
When Shi Wan returned, it was close to noon. When her maid Yu'er saw her return, she quickly handed her the large half of a sesame seed cake that she had specially saved.
Shi Wan quickly thanked her and then focused on eating.
The crust was crispy, a pale golden brown, and crumbled with every bite. Some kind of spice was sprinkled in the center, creating a wonderful aroma of roasted wheat and a subtle saltiness that tantalized her taste buds in waves.
Shi Wan had been hungry for a long time, but she always ate in a refined manner. So, in Yu'er's eyes, Shi Wan could only be seen eating like a little hamster, taking bite after bite with very short pauses between chewing.
Yu'er blushed slightly. "Sister Wan'er, eat slowly, there's more in the kitchen!"
After finishing the pancake, she drank some warm tea to soothe her throat. Once her stomach was completely full, Shi Wan felt a brief sense of relief.
Jiang Xu assigned her work in the outer courtyard, proving that she wouldn't have to deal with him every moment like she did in prison tonight. Besides, the army had only recently entered the city, and everything was in disarray; as the commander-in-chief, he must have many things to do, both big and small.
Compared to Mama Wu at Willow Terrace, at least for now she doesn't have to sell her smiles and sing songs every day. Jiang Xu is of noble status; if he really wanted to hear her sing, all the others outside would swarm around him, and she wouldn't have a chance to embarrass herself.
Besides, she actually knew how to clean, but she had never cleaned such an expensive mansion before, so she figured it would only take her a few days to get the hang of it. Shi Wan thought to herself with a wry smile, while chatting casually with Yu'er, trying to ask about some key points and details of the work.
Like a loving mother seeing her children about to embark on a long journey, Yu'er pondered the rules she knew and gave them detailed instructions: "When sweeping, especially make sure to wipe the bluestone slabs in the courtyard clean. Remember that."
"Your Majesty, the tea you drink must be seven-tenths hot. Remember that."
Upon hearing this, Shi Wan nodded and noted it down.
After a while, Yu'er finished giving her instructions. Hearing someone calling her from outside, she quickly responded, patted her clothes, and got up to go out. Just before leaving, she seemed to remember something, suddenly turned around, and said in a particularly high-spirited tone, "Oh, right, Sister Wan'er!"
"The king must get up at three quarters past the hour of Yin every day to practice his sword."
"Remember this!"
Shi Wan nodded halfway, then subconsciously pulled her head back, muttering incredulously, "...3:45 AM?!"
"daily?!"
This well-intentioned reminder seemed like a demonic whisper, lingering in Shi Wan's mind until midnight, leaving her in a precarious mental state the next morning.
She forced herself to apply two more layers of makeup to barely cover the dark circles under her eyes, and rushed to the main courtyard before 3:45 AM.
Hurriedly, Jiang Xu was already practicing his sword in the courtyard.
It was still quite dark, and the lights hanging from the eaves cast warm, starlight-like glows. The two blended together, creating large areas of shadow, and Jiang Xu was standing in this darkness.
The two were clearly distinct.
Shi Wan's breathing hitched slightly, but she mustered her spirits and moved closer to him. "Your Majesty."
Jiang Xu remained oblivious, continuing his practice. With each movement, the hem of his robes fluttered in the wind, and the long sword in his hand moved like a snake, incredibly fast, twisting and turning. Shi Wan secretly observed him, and for a moment, she even felt that the dust and debris in the air would be swallowed up by this sword energy before it even hit the ground.
The next moment, Jiang Xu suddenly turned the hilt of his sword.
As soon as Shi Wan's gaze settled on her, the tip of the sword was already pointing straight at her, its chilling aura and sharpness all converging at a single point.
The distance was extremely close, barely an inch.
A note from the author:
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1. "The setting sun melts gold, and the evening clouds merge like jade." This line comes from Li Qingzhao's poem "Yong Yu Le: The Setting Sun Melts Gold".
2. The section on buying official positions mentioned in this chapter, as well as the acts of banditry carried out under the guise of border defense and land reclamation, is referenced from the following source: "History of Ming Dynasty: Treatise on Food and Commodities".
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